Our 100-year legacy has been built by the dedication, expertise, and commitment of the teammates who have made AWG their career – from the earliest days of our cooperative to the dynamic, innovative organization we are today. Every member served, every community supported, and every milestone reached has been made possible by the people who show up each day to move our mission forward. This centennial celebration is a celebration of them.
Senior Sales Manager – District Manager
From the Backroom to District Manager: A Lifetime in Grocery
Robert Cartmell was born into the grocery business. His father worked at a local store for 48 years, and Robert can remember helping out when he was just four years old. At twelve, standing in the backroom, he watched a Fleming Foods Sales Manager named Coy Johnson build relationships and make things happen for independent retailers. Thirty years later, as AWG’s Senior Sales Manager and District Manager, Robert has become that person for AWG members – the one who shows up, solves problems, and does what’s right for retailers.
What defines Robert’s career aren’t the awards or accolades. It’s the impossible deadlines met and stores opened against all odds. There’s the fire-damaged store that had been closed for five weeks: no lights, no ceiling, no flooring, no shelving, no product. The challenge was to reopen it in one week, in time for Thanksgiving. Everyone said it couldn’t be done. Robert had a vision and a plan. Seven days later, the store opened, and the community, which had been driving 20+ miles to the nearest grocery, had their neighborhood market back.
Robert’s philosophy is simple: do what’s best for the member-retailer. Relationships matter. Trust matters.If he could have dinner with anyone, it would be his dad, to show him the passion and hard work ethic he instilled, and to let him see what it’s all become.
Distribution Specialist/Customer Service Manager
31 Years of Service
Opening Divisions, Serving Members
Annissa Hays started at AWG’s Kansas City corporate office in 1995 as the first Oklahoma City Division credit clerk. Over the next three decades, she became the person who opened new divisions, traveling to Fort Worth, Memphis, and Nashville to ensure inventory was accurate and train customer service teams. Today, she’s based in Nashville as both Distribution Specialist and Customer Service Manager, bringing operational knowledge across AWG’s footprint to support members every day.
Annissa has witnessed extraordinary transformation, from buyers relying on paper files and adding machines to automated forecasting systems that plan inventory years in advance. She’s watched technology revolutionize both the warehouse floor and the back office. Her daughter now works at AWG, doing the same weekly statement balancing with a push of a button that Annissa once did by hand. “She’s got it made compared to 30 years ago,” Annissa laughs. For Annissa, AWG’s 100-year success comes down to one principle: “It’s not about what we can do for us. It’s about what we can do for our members and our communities. AWG cares about their people.”
Produce Buyer
34 years Years of Service
34 years, 7 Roles, 1 Cooperative
Randy Hanson’s career at AWG tells the story of what’s possible when a cooperative invests in its people. Over 34 years, Randy has held seven different positions across the organization, advancing from his earliest roles to his current position as Produce Buyer specializing in plant and floral items. His journey represents the career growth and opportunity that defines AWG’s commitment to its teammates.
Randy’s impact extends beyond his own advancement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, when floral was not considered essential and the industry faced unprecedented challenges, Randy and his team stayed focused on serving members. The result: they grew floral sales by $2 million over two years, which is a testament to resilience, creativity, and dedication to helping AWG members succeed even in the toughest circumstances.
When asked what he values most about AWG, Randy points to two principles: humility and purpose. “Our team of good people is dedicated to helping our members—who are also good people—strengthen Main Street USA,” he explains. “By ensuring grocery stores remain the backbone of the local communities they serve, I find a deep sense of purpose. This mission is what gives me the most pride at the end of each day.”
Security Coordinator
22 Years of Service
The face of AWG and heart of Kansas City
When Lisa Quinto arrives at 6:30 a.m. each day, she becomes what she never expected when she was hired 22 years ago: “the face of AWG.” As Security Coordinator, she monitors every person who walks through the front door, answers the main switchline for the entire company, and ensures employees, vendors, members, and visitors all feel taken care of. But her role goes far deeper than her job description. “I love taking care of people,” Lisa explains. “I treat everyone the way you want to be treated when you walk in the front door of a corporate office: like someone’s going to help you and you’ll be taken care of.”
Lisa’s connection to AWG runs in the family. Her sister, daughter, granddaughter, and cousin all work at AWG as well. Together, they represent three generations dedicated to the cooperative, and a living example of the legacy AWG builds with its teammates.
Lisa fondly remembers the days before virtual meetings, when member retailers regularly visited headquarters and she would roll out the red carpet for store owners that she came to know across generations. She still greets our Board Members by name, and she celebrates when the next generation of retail owners walks through the door. “I’ve shed a lot of tears seeing someone leave, because I get to know everybody,” she says. “I really care about everyone.” That genuine, constant, personal care is what makes Lisa the heart of AWG.
